First week as a turkey rancher

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by Meredith Chilson One week as a turkey rancher. Wrangler? Farmer? Mostly…watcher.

Just as I do when there are new chicken peeps under the heat lamp in the garage, I’ve been spending an inordinate amount of time sitting in the lawn chair pulled up next to the little turkey pen.

My friend Kathleen and I are raising turkeys. We researched, read, even asked YOU…and finally, after a long talk with the experienced man who will be processing the birds in November, decided we would give it a try.

These are already expensive birds. We placed our order for 20 little birds through a locally owned feed store—minimum order 15. We’re raising them on organic starter/grower—which costs just about twice as much as “regular” feed. We knew, though, that this would not be a moneymaking project. We have large, extended families and friends who, like us, are concerned about what goes on their dinner plates. These turkeys will be raised in a happy, healthy environment, and their lives, however brief, will be appreciated and respected. For us, that’s worth a lot.

I’ve raised lots of little chicks—some under the heat lamp and some under mama chickens. Nearly everyone I talked to said raising little turkeys (poults) is very similar. And in some ways, it is.

The basic needs of the little birds are met the same way—with a heat lamp for warmth and security, starter/grower feed (although turkey starter has more protein in it than chick starter) in long, low trays, water jugs with shallow lips.

They peep and scratch and lift their heads to swallow water.

But the differences….

Here’s what I’ve learned after just a week:

Turkey poults are more fragile than newly hatched chicks. When I was told to put marbles or small colored stones in the waterers, I was skeptical. I have never, ever had a little chicken fall in a waterer. These little turkeys LAID in the water. Face first.
All is well; no bird drowned. They could have, though. That first day with us, they just weren’t strong enough to lift themselves out of the water if they tripped into it.

Which brings us to difference number two.

Little turkeys appear to be … ah…not quite as bright as they might be. They do trip into their waterers. And into their feeders. And over not much at all. Sometimes they walk backwards, or run flat out across the pen and stub their toe on the edge of the feeder and splat down into the dish. Usually, when this happens, they just take a nap.

They might not appear quite so bright as little chicks, but they are friendly and more trusting.

When I’ve reached into a pen of little chicks—for whatever reason—the little chickens scurry to the opposite of the pen. Little turkeys climb into (or onto) a hand. If there are people talking near the pen, the poults tend to congregate on that side of the pen, too.

I’ve noticed, also, that turkey-specific sounds and activities begin very early. By the second day, I could hear the occasional “Chirp” that a turkey makes, and by day 4 some of the little guys were “strutting” around the pen with their chests puffed out, tiny tails raised, and wings out and lowered.

Finally, I know already that these birds are ready to fulfill their destiny as well-fed meat birds. They eat. And eat. And eat. I laughed when the woman at the feed store said the turkey starter came in only 50-pound bags. In my experience with chickens, it took about 3 weeks for the little birds to go through 20 pounds of feed. I called the store today to be sure they had another bag on hand.

Obviously, I’ve been watching these birds a LOT. I love watching little birds, but I’m finding these turkeys particularly fascinating. As similar as they might be to chicks, they are showing me every day how different they are, too. I sort of think they may be watching me, too.

9 Comments

In Medford, Oregon, during Thanksgiving and Christmas 2013, organic, free range turkeys sold for about $50.00 each, available by special order only. Some day I want to raise laying hens but I live in town. Space is limited. I am thinking turkeys now also, because we are very concerned about how our food is treated and raised. Humane treatment is very important to me, but I could not afford to pay $50.00 for a turkey. I had to settle for a disgusting, fat engorged chemical turkey, which was awful. (poor bird) How much space is required to raise 8 turkeys? And how do you find a humane “turkey slayer” when the time comes? A home-grown, humanely raised organic turkey would be the ultimate gift to a loved family member.

Nancy-That’s one of the main reasons we decided to raise turkeys. We, too, are concerned about what goes on our plate and into our families! Usually, turkey poults cannot be ordered in lots less than 15–I think partly because they are a little more fragile than chickens. It also makes you really think about raising them! If you are only keeping them for 3 or 4 moths, it doesn’t take much more room to raise turkeys than it does to keep a flock of chickens–and I’ll be writing more about finding a humane “turkey slayer” as it gets closer to Thanksgiving, but what we did was ask those who have raised turkeys before. Word of mouth — and a field trip to the facility.

I have known my husband and I will raise some meat birds when we have our future homestead set up, but I never have thought to raise turkeys. I may have to re-think our plan to include turkeys. I will be very interested to see the progress and how you do with the turkeys. Will you also, please, give a full accounting of the money spent, so I can see if this is something I will, indeed, want to do. Thanks. Have a wonderful Thursday and enjoy your weekend!

Also the addition of giving them a cooked egg each day (crumbled with the shell) and a little buttermilk is also a good thing. I love raising turkeys, they always keep you on your toes. Good luck! Enjoy them.

Cynthia, That sounds like sensible advice. Most women have learned that calcium is not available for use in the body without Vitamin D-3 to help it absorb, so this follows right along with that, doesn’t it?
Thank you for weighing in.

I raised and sold baby turkey poults for quite a few years. I also authored a book on raising them, too, in an effort to help poultry raisers and handlers. I would like to suggest the addition of a little bit of cod liver oil added to their drinking water starting at 5 days of age. You must place it onto the area where they drink because if you put it in the container and then turn it over, the oil will be inside at the top not doing the poults any good. Four ounces cod-liver oil should be enough for 18 poults until 4 weeks of age, when they have access to sunlight.
(Most birds are raised under artificial lights and have no access to sunlight until they are older. Sunlight helps the body to produce Vitamin D).

You may have heard of fast growing birds “going down on their legs” when they get just a little bit of weight on them. (This includes your Cornish Rocks). This is actually a form of rickets where the bones are soft and springy. Once they get rickets, nothing can be done and they are crippled and unable to get around. The cause is the lack of Vitamin D-3 and calcium, or an imbalance of calcium and phosphorus in commercially prepared starters.
If calcium is lacking, it is simply unavailable for the body’s use. If Vitamin D-3 is lacking, the available calcium cannot be absorbed and used by the body. Vitamin D-3 is needed for calcium to be utilized. produce Vitamin D). There is no way to know exactly just how much vitamins your birds are getting from the starter feed. By using this trick, you won’t have any birds go down on their legs.

*Sailors long ago knew the values of cod-liver oil in preventing rickets. During their long journeys on galley ships where the sun was not seen for days, but fish was plentiful, men were seldom troubled with rickets.